The present invention relates in general to containers, and, more particularly, to a portable, collapsible container which can be used to separate material.
In agriculture and plant culture, it is often necessary to separate seeds from a mass of material which also contains leaves and/or flowers, or the like, or to separate stones, pebbles and dirt or rocks from soil or sand. Often, the remnants of this mass are saved for further processing. Heretofore, this remaining mass had to be transferred from a separator to a separate container to effect such storage, thus necessitating the use of at least two devices. An example of such sorting only devices is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,756.
This problem has engendered devices such as the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,645, but these devices are cumbersome and are not at all suited for carrying on the person. Furthermore, these devices are difficult and expensive to manufacture.
It is noted that none of the prior art devices include a safety feature in a hand-held manual separator which permits discharge of all or none of the separated commodity as desired. Thus, inspection and rework is not expeditious.
Accordingly, there is need for a container which can be used as a sorting device and as a storage device which is easily transportable on the person of the user.